Selling Your Way Out Of A Paper Bag

That guy couldn’t sell his way out of a paper bag… How many times have you heard that one?

Good communications skills are vital to your business. Marry that with good sales skills and you’ll put more profit in your pocket.

This guy could not sell his way out of the paper bag : (

You’re always communicating and no matter what you do, you are selling. People buy from you cause they like you, they like your product and they like your company.

You’re always selling.

Having good salesmanship can take you further in life than any other skill you possess. Big, bold statement, I know.

Think about what you do, who your customers are and ask yourself, “How did these customers come to me?”

Were they referred, did they walk into my store, did I meet them through networking, did they come via marketing, did they buy from an online sales page, did I close them on an appointment?

One way or another they came from a variation of selling.

You may hate sales people, hate being a sales person or just hate the word sales in general. I have to tell you something… Straight from the heart. It’s time to get over it. Your business health depends on it.

I don’t care what business you are in, if you’re in business for yourself, you are selling. Now that we’ve established that we’re all in sales, we might as well get good at it, right?

You Are Always Selling

For the past 12 years, I’ve sold from stage to audiences of 5 to 150. You learn a lot about people’s personalities, how they react in certain high-pressure situations and what makes them become a customer.

Here’s what I learned from my own selling and from studying Jordan Belfort, someone who has changed the way I approach a sale. Think about how you can incorporate some of these tips into your own business to capture more customers.

1. Upon meeting anyone for the first time you must be:

– Sharp as a tack
– Enthusiastic as hell
– An authority or force to be reckoned with

Side note: If you have employees this goes for them as well. They may be the first person your customer sees. They better be happy, smiling, know your business inside and out with the ability to help your customers.

Embrace this… This attracts customers.

2. Appearance matters- I don’t care who you are and what you’re selling. Within 4 seconds, your customers will have sized you up and made a decision if you’re someone they want to do business with. Too many people discount this fact. Dress the part. When you see a police officer in uniform, you automatically associate them with authority. The same is true for your business. Dress the part and know your audience.

3. Know who you’re talking to- Research, research and research some more. Be an expert on your customers. Know what they want and be able to anticipate their objections.

4. Mirroring- This helps a prospect feel more comfortable with you. If you’re in a sit down presentation, watch the body language of your prospect. Are they crossing their legs, are they sitting upright in their chair. You want to mirror what their doing. Just don’t get caught.

5. Tonality- This one tip alone is a game changer. Think about the level of your voice. Lean in and speak softly when you’re trying to make a big point. A whisper speaks louder than a scream.

Side note: How is your phone answered? Is good tonality being used? Or are you monotone? Are your employees monotone? Something worth thinking about.

6. Answer objections before they come up- Anticipate what the objections will be ahead of time. Cover them in your presentation.

7. Stay on topic- Don’t let the conversation run off in a direction where you’re talking about your kids or fishing or whatever your prospects like to do. You’re there to sell, not become friends. You can become friends after the sale is made.

8. Know when to shut up- Too many people talk their way out of a sale. An easy fix for this is to have your sales process scripted. Know exactly what you’re going to say before going into a meeting. Learn to pause and let the prospect think.

9. Agitate the problem- You must agitate your prospects problems. Let them talk about what’s wrong with their business. Ask questions that set them up for talking about failures.

10. Straight Line- Imagine a straight line from start to finish. What’s your open, what’s your middle, and what’s your close. You must take that prospect down your straight line to get them closed. If they go off the line by asking questions unrelated to your topic you must deflect them back on line. You can do this by asking questions that bring them back on topic.

11. Consult- Show them how their problems can be solved. 99% of the time this ends with, can you do this for me?

12. Be Different- How can you stand out from everyone else? What makes you different? What’s your unique selling position?

13. Exclusivity- Being able to say, “You’ll be the only one that has this” is huge and commands a premium price especially in competitive categories. Can you offer exclusivity by product, by zip code, by neighborhood, by state or by industry? Something worth thinking about.

14. Scripting- Script every encounter you or an employee has with a customer. Do you have a script for how the phone is answered? Do you have a script for how customers are greeted when they walk into your store front? Do you have a script for when your at marketing or networking events? Something you need to think about.

15. The Big 3- The biggest and most important aspect of closing anybody that closeable is this:

→ They must love you
→ They must love your product
→ They must love your company

If they don’t buy it’s because of one of these items. Make sure that you sell yourself, your product and your company. They must be in love with all three for you to get the sale.

Now it’s your turn to take action. What one tip can you take from this list and incorporate into your business immediately? Scripting? Tonality? The way you or employees dress? Whatever it is, do it! You’ll see a difference.